Watch: First Clip & New Pics From ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’

Watch: First Clip & New Pics From 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

Tonight is the night that, all the way around the world in New Zealand, things will be getting underway for the world premiere of Peter Jackson‘s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” It has been a long road for the film, originally slated to be directed by Guillermo Del Toro who moved on as the project stalled, before finally getting revived as MGM pulled themselves out of bankruptcy. It was supposed to be two films, turned to three, and just like that a new trilogy is kicking off and will start the LOTR fervor around the world all over again.

To mark the ocassion, Warner Bros. has dropped a plethora of brand new images from the movie, withEmpire providing a couple of new posters as well. There are no great shocks here — you’re not going to see Smaug or anything — but it does showcase the grand scope of the movie, highlights some returning faces and promises some big monsters that will greet Frodo and the gang as they get on their merry way. And not only that, a first clip from the film has arrived via The Film Stage as well.

Take a peek below and prepare yourself as first word from ‘An Unexpected Journey’ will start rolling in very late tonight and early tomorrow morning. The film opens on December 14th.